1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to software applications for mobile users, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for providing automatic configuration of a computer system based on its physical location using an electronically read schedule.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to availability of cheaper, smaller and more powerful computers (e.g., laptops and the like), and easy accessibility to networking infrastructure such as a local area network (LAN) and a telephone connection, an increased number of people are traveling with their computers. The set of options for connecting to the network and the set of resources that are available to a user are largely determined by the physical location where the user is currently located.
For example, if a user is in an office in New York, then the user would connect to the office network using a local area network and would have access to all the services such as scanners and printers located at the office in New York. If for some reason, the users travels with his computer to his branch office in Florida, then the user would have access to resources available at the branch office in Florida. During the trip, if a user stays at a hotel somewhere or travels through an airport, then the user would have access to resources available at the hotel or the airport, respectively.
Typically, at a hotel, the user would use the telephone lines to dial into the office network, and use the printers available at the hotel. After establishing a network connection, a typical user would use variety of software applications to access and manage the information that the user is interested in. For example, to send and receive mail, the user would employ an e-mail client such as Lotus Notes(copyright) or Microsoft Outlook(copyright). To transfer files between the user""s computer and the office server, the user would either manually copy files or use a file transfer application.
However, a major problem with the current computer system configuration is that the user has to frequently update the computer system configuration parameters whenever the user connects from a different physical location (e.g., hotel, airport, etc.). Such computer system configuration parameters include telephone numbers for connecting to the local service provider, network parameters such as domain name servers, Internet Protocol (IP) address, and printer settings.
This chore is further complicated in that this information must be updated using several software applications, and any inconsistency in updating any of the configuration information can render the computer useless for that physical location. This is a problem.
The problem is further exacerbated for certain class of workers such a sales personnel, insurance agents, etc. who frequently travel. During a typical work week, a sales representative may visit several sites. At each location, a worker must reconfigure the computer configuration settings. This is highly inconvenient for them.
It is noted that some commercial products (e.g., Symantec""s Mobile Essentials(copyright)) attempt to provide some centralized management and deployment of location profiles. The location profiles include general location information (e.g., country, city and time zone), dialing, network settings for transmission control protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) and dial-up, printer configuration and profile setting for other applications such as Web Browsers and E-mail clients.
Another commercial product (e.g., 3Com""s DynamicAccess Mobile Connection Manager(copyright)) supports creation of multiple standard LAN and remote access configurations. It features single click switching between locations and supports read-only locations for troubleshooting and ease of maintenance.
However, similarly to Symantec""s product, this product is deficient in automatically configuring a computer system based on its physical location and certainly does not provide such configuration using an electronically read schedule (e.g., travel, calendar, Appointment, etc.). Indeed, the computer configuration is performed based on the location selected by a user.
Thus, while it may be possible for travelers, etc. to connect to their xe2x80x9chomexe2x80x9d network (e.g., an Intranet or the like) etc., there is a lot of work, trouble and inconvenience for the users in establishing a network connection. That is, much configuration of the computer must be changed in establishing a successful network connection and gaining access to the user""s data, e-mail, other network resources, etc.
In view of the foregoing and other problems, drawbacks, and disadvantages of the conventional systems and methods, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing automatic configuration of a portable device (e.g., a computer) based on its physical location.
Another object is to automatically configure a portable device based on an electronically-read schedule (e.g., travel, calendar, appointment, etc.) of a user.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a software facility for automatic configuration of a user""s portable device, includes, a module for inferring a current location of the user, and a module for configuring the portable device based on information contained in the configuration of the current location.
In a second aspect, a method for automatically configuring a user""s portable device includes inferring a current location of the user, and configuring the portable device based on information contained in the configuration of the current location.
Preferably, the system automatically infers (e.g., determines) where it is located by comparing the current time with the travel times previously read from the user""s schedule (e.g., travel, calendar, appointment, etc.) that was previously downloaded or read electronically from a computer system, magnetic card, ticket information, or other type of electronic media including bar code, magnetic stripe, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, etc. By comparing the elapsed time with the current time, the program can determine where the system is located and automatically configures it for the new location with little or no user intervention.
Thus, the present invention provides means for automatic configuration of the computer based on its physical location. The configuration is done based on intuitive physical location based abstraction for administering and performing connectivity and information management tasks as embodied by the Location Manager described in the above-mentioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/500,923, having IBM Docket NO. YO999-518.
In a preferred embodiment, a software module called a xe2x80x9cTravel Modulexe2x80x9d is provided. The Travel Module keeps track of the electronically read travel schedule and uses an electronic unit/means to determine the physical location of the computer. The gathered information is provided to the Location Manager, which uses the information to select a pre-configured location to configure the computer system.
With the unique and unobvious features of the present invention, the problem of reconfiguration of a computer in a new location is alleviated by automatically configuring the computer system based on its physical location using an electronically read schedule (e.g., travel, calendar, Appointment, etc.).